Water softening apparatus



Oct. 10, 1961 M. w. SCHRADER 3,003,636

WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS Filed May 21, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR MWSckraJer ATTORNEY Oct. 10, 1961 M. w. SCHRADER WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS Mm m S W 5 Sheets-finest 3 ATTORNEY M. nu n Filed May 21, 1958 United States Patent time 3,003,636 Patented Oct. 10, 1961 3,003,636 WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS Martin Walter Schrader, Red Bud, Ill. (3910 Crest Drive, Lake Oswego, Oreg.) Filed May 21, 1958, Ser. No. 736,811 9 Claims. (Cl. 210-97) This invention relates to a water softening apparatus of extremely simple construction and including semiautomatic means for indicating the commencement of the regeneration cycle of the apparatus and for automatically completing the regeneration cycle after certain initial manual adjustments of the apparatus have been accomplished.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a novel valve unit for automatically reversing the direction of flow of the water through the softener tank to accomplish the regeneration and including electrically operated valves in conjunction with fluid pressure responsive valves.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following dmcription of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the water softening apparatus, with certain of the parts removed;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the apparatus, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit of the apparatus;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6--6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the conduit as seen in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view in detail, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 8-8 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a similar view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 99 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating a portion of the apparatus;

FIGURE 11 is a bottom plan view of the valve structure show in FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged elevational view of one element of the apparatus.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the water softening apparatus in its entirety is designated generally 12 and includes an upright tank 13 having a top wall 14 provided with an upstanding externally threaded neck 15 defining an opening 16 in said top walland which constitutes the only opening of the tank. Said opening 16 is normally closed by a discshaped externally threaded closure 17 and an internally threaded collar 18 which threadedly engages the threaded periphery of the closure 17 andthe exterior of the neck 15. An annular sealing gasket 19 is clamped between the outer portion of the closure 17 and the upper end of the neck 15 for effectively sealing the tank 13.

The closure 17 has spaced bores 20 and 21in which upper ends of pipes 22 and 23, respectively, snugly fit. Said closure 17 has upstanding annular bosses 24 and 25 surrounding and forming extensions of the upper ends of the bores 20 and 21, respectively. As seen in FIGURE 2,

the pipe 22 extends downwardly only a short distance from the cover 17 and then includes a relatively long horizontal portion 26 which extends substantially across the top part of the tank 13. The upper half of the pipe or tube portion 26 is provided with narrow substantially semicircular slots 27, as best seen in FIGURE 9. The pipe 23 extends to adjacent the bottom 28 of the tank 13 and terminates in a substantially horizontally disposed triangular shaped lower end portion 29 the underside of which is provided with narrow substantially semicircular slots 30, as best seen in FIGURES 7 and 8. Said slotted underside of the pipe portion 29 is located near to but spaced slightly from the tank bottom 28. The distal ends of the pipe portions 26 and 29 are closed, as seen at 31. The pipe 23 includes spaced sections which are connected by a flexible sleeve 32, as best seen in FIGURE 10, which is secured to adjacent end portions of said pipe sections by clamps 33.

A tubular member 34 has a lower end engaging over and secured to the boss 24, and a similar tubular member 35 is connected in the same manner at its lower end to the boss 25. The upper ends of the tubular members 34 and 35 are suitably secured in downwardly opening sockets 36 and 37, respectively, of a valve housing 38 which is thus supported by the tubular members 34 and 35 above and spaced from the cover 17. The valve housing 38 includes a casting 39 in which the sockets 36 and 37 are formed. The casting 39 has a top portion 40 provided with a bore 41, one end of which opens outwardly of an end of said top portion 40 and the other end of which opens downwardly into the intermediate portion of a longitudinally extending bore 42. The upper portion 40 is provided with a transversely extending cylindrical cavity 43 which intersects an intermediate portion of the bore 41 and in which a valve body 44 is rotatably mounted. A lever 45 is fixed to an exposed end of the valve body 44 and is mounted externally of the housing 33. When the lever 45 is in a horizontal position, as illustrated in the drawings, the ports 46 of the valve body 44 communicate with the ends of the bore 41 and the valve is in an open position to permit a flow of fluid through said bore 41 and the valve body 44. By swinging the lever 45 to an upright position, one or" the ports 46 is moved out of registration with the bore 41 for closing the passage through said bore.

The valve housing 38 includes end caps 47 and 48 which are secured to the ends of the casting 39, below the top portion 40 thereof, by fastenings 49 and into which the ends of the passage 42 open. The casting 39 also includes two angular passages 50 and 51 having downwardly opening ends communicating with the sockets 36 and 37, respectively, and which accordingly open into the upper ends of the conduits 3'4 and 35, respectively. The opposite aligned upper ends of the passages 50 and 51 open in opposite directions and outwardly of the ends of the casting 39 and into the caps 47 and 48, respectively. Said last mentioned aligned ends of the passages 50 and 51 terminate in valve seats 52 and 53, respectively.

A resilient diaphragm valve 54 is clamped to one end of the casting 39 by the cap 47 and a resilient diaphragm valve 55 is clamped to the opposite end of said casting by the cap 43. The valve 54 is normally spring biased to an open position in the cap 47 and away from the valve seat 52 while the valve 55 is normally spring biased to a closed position in engagement with the valve seat 53. A stem 56 is slidably mounted longitudinally of the casting 39 and. is fixed to the valves 54 and 55. A solenoid 57 is supported by and extends outwardly from the cap 48 and includes an armature 59 to whichan end of the stem 56 is secured.

The conduit 34 forms a housing for a slidably mounted valve 60 and the conduit 35 constitutes a housing for a similar valve 61. Each valve 69 and 61 includes a cylindrical body 62 which is provided adjacent its upper end with a sealing ring 63 and the lower end of which is externally recessed to receive a sealing gasket 64. A cup shaped valve element 65 is mounted slidably in the lower end of the bore 66 of each cylindrical body 62 and has a pin 67 extending upwardly from the outer end thereof and to which is connected one end of a contractile spring 68. The spring 68 extends upwardly through the bore 66 and is anchored at its opposite end to a pin 69 which bears against the upper end of the cylindrical member 62 for holding the valve element 65 in a closed position seated in the lower end of the gasket 64. The valve element 55 has projections 79 extending outwardly from its bottom wall and bearing against the iuturncd lower end of the gasket 64. The cylindrical wall of the valve element 65 is provided with openings forming outlet ports 71. The slidable valve body 61 additionally includes a restrictor member 72 comprising a disc or washer having a restricted centrally disposed port which is mounted between the upper end of the valve body 62 thereof and the pin 69.

A small drain pipe 73 communicates with and leads from the intermediate portion of the conduit member 34 and a larger soft water supply conduit 74 communicates with the intermediate'portion of the conduit 35 and leads therefrom; A hard water supply conduit 75, leading from a source of water supply under pressure, has an outlet end connected to the outwardly opening end of the bore 41. A branch pipe 76 forms a connection between the conduits 75 and 74, around the valve housing 38, and is provided with a manual shutofi valve 77.

A timer 78 and light source 79 are mounted on the top wall 14 of the tank and are interposed in the electric circuit 8 3 of the solenoid 57. The timer 78 includes a clock 81 and a clock 32 which are connected to one another in series in the circuit 50. The clock 81 includes a fixed conductor strip 83 and a revolving conductor element 84 which makes one revolution each twenty-four hours. The clock 82 includes a fixed conductor strip 85 and a revolving conductor element 86 which makes one revolution each seven days and which remains in electrical contact with the conductor strip 85 for one twenty-four hour period during each revolution thereof. The conductor strips 83 and 85 and revolving contacts 84 and 86 are interposed in the electric circuit 89 and the contact 84 remains in electrical engagement with the contact strip 83 for a time interval of one and a half to two hours during each revolution thereof, so that the electric circuit 80 may be maintained closed by the timer 78 for a period of one and a half to two hours each week and at any preferred time depending upon the setting of the clocks 81 and 82. The circuit 86 also preferably includes a manual switch 87 which is normally maintained in a closed position.

The parts of the apparatus supported above the top wall 1% of the tank are normally enclosed by a removable cover 88 having a slot 89 opening outwardly of an edge thereof and through which the conduits 73, 74 and 75 extend. The cover 88 is also provided with a window 90 preferably of a colored transparent or translucent mate rial through which the light rays from the light source 79 are clearly visible, and which window 90 may be colored red, for example, to attract attention when the electric circuit 80 is closed by the timer 78.

The bottom portion of the tank 13 is filled with gravel up to the level of the broken line 91, above and adjacent the pipe portion 29, and said tank 13 contains an unexpanded mineral bed supported by the gravel 91, up to approximately the level as indicated by the broken line 92, and an expanded mineral bed up to the level of the broken line 93 and which is immediately below the pipe portion 26. The depth of the unexpanded mineral bed is substantially greater than the depth of the expanded mineral bed, as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 2.

In normal operation the valve 54 is open and the valve 55 is closed. Consequently, when water is drawn through the soft water supply conduit 74 from the tank 13, additional hard water is supplied to the tank under pressure from the hard water supply conduit 75 and in passingdownwardly through the passage 50, the Water being supplied, exerts a pressure on the valve member 60 for moving said member downwardly until the gasket 64 thereof shuts off the drain pipe 73. Pressure of the water in the bore 66 of the valve member 69 displaces the valve element thereof downwardly against the action of its spring 68 to allow the water to escape through the ports 71 of said valve element 65 into the lower end of the conduit 34 and thence into the pipe 22. The hard water escapes through the slots 27 in pipe portion 26 into the top of the tank 13 and then passes downwardly through the water softening materials and into the pipe portion 29 through the downwardly opening slots 30 thereof. The pressure of the water within the tank 13 forces the softened water upwardly through the pipe 23. The softened water exerts an upward pressure against the lower end of the valve member 61 for holding said valve member in a raised open position and so that the water can pass outwardly through the softwater outlet conduit 74, when soft water is being drawn from the outlet conduit. Thus, during normal use of the apparatus 12 the valve member 69 is in a lowered position for shutting oft" the drain port 73 and allowing water to pass downwardly therethrough into the pipe 22 and the valve member 61 is in a raised open position to allow the water which has been softened to escape from the conduit member 35 into the outlet conduit 74.

When the regeneration period arrives, as indicated by illumination of the light source 79, the cover 88 is removed from the tank 13 and the valve lever 45 is swung upwardly to an upright position forclosing the valve 44. The collar 18 is then unscrewed from the neck 15 so that the cover 17 can be moved laterally from its full line to its dotted line position of FIGURE 1 to sufficiently expose the tank opening 16 so that rock salt can be applied to the tank through said opening 16. The pipe 22 is capable of moving freely in the upper part of the tank 13 above the level of the expanded mineral bed, and the flexible conduit section or sleeve 32 permits a sufficient yielding of the upper section of the pipe 23, which is only submerged a short distance into the expanded mineral bed, to enable lateral displacement of the cover 17 to its open dotted line position. Ordinarly about five pounds of rock salt is applied for each regeneration cycle. However, this will depend upon the hardness of the water. The cover 17 is then re-secured on the neck 15 by the collar 18, after which the lever 45 is swung back to its horizontal position of FIGURES 2 and 3. As the circuit 80 is closed, the solenoid 57 is energized and its armature 59 is drawn inwardly or from left to right thereof for closing the valve 54 and opening the valve 55. Accord ingly, the water from the water supply pipe 75 will then flow through the passage 51 to force the valve body 61 downwardly from its position of FIGURE 3 for closing off the soft water outlet conduit 74. Water passing through the restrictor 72 will build up pressure in the bore 66 of the valve body 61 for forcing the valve element 65 thereof downwardly to its dotted line position so that water can escape through the ports 71 into the pipe 23.

The restricted flow of water through the pipe 23 will be discharged downwardly through the slots 30 in the bottom pipe portion 29. The upward flow of water from the pipe portion 29 expands and agitates the mineral beds in passing upwardly therethrough. This expansion of the mineral beds permits the heavy rock salt to pass downwardly therethrough, some of which comes to rest upon the gravel 91. Thereafter, the upwardly flowing water rinses over the salt deposited at the upper level of the gravel as well as the salt within the mineral beds, causing a strong brine, and the upwardly or reverse flowing water and the brine carried thereby passes upwardly through the two mineral beds for further agitating the minerals during this reverse flow. The strong brine acts chemically on the resin for removing impurities from the mineral beds and such impurities and the brine are carried with the upwardly flowing water to the top of the tank and enter the pipe portion 26 through the upwardly opening slots 27 thereof. The brine and impurities together with the Water build up suflieient pressure in the pipe 22 to force the valve member 61? upwardly to its open position of FIGURE 3 so that the liquid can escape through the drain pipe 73. The slots 27 are sufficiently narrow so that small round beads of resin cannot enter the pipe portion 26.

Should there be a requirement for water during the regeneration cycle, the valve 77 can be opened to allow water to flow from the supply conduit 75 to the conduit 74 through the bypass line 76. Otherwise, the valve 77 is at all times maintained in a closed position.

The restricted re-cycling flow continues until all of the brine has been removed from the tank 13, after which the softening materials are rinsed by the upwardly flowing hard water, during the latter part of the regenerating cycle. After the predetermined time interval, usually one and a half to two hours, the contact 84 moves out of engagement with the conductor strip 83 for breaking the electric circuit to the solenoid 57, so that the valve 55 is returned to a closed position and the valve 54 resumcs its normal open position to allow normal operation of the softening apparatus 12 to be resumed. When this ccurs, the pressure of the water on the valve member 60 will displace said valve member downwardly from its position of FIGURE 3 to close the drain pipe 73 and will also move the valve element 65 downwardly to an open position, as previously described, so that water to be softened under pressure will be supplied to the upper part of the tank through the slots 27. As pressure builds up in the tank 13 and conduit 23, the valve member 61 will be displaced upwardly by the pressure of the softened water to again expose the soft water outlet 74 through which the treated water can be supplied for use from the apparatus 12.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A control valve for a water softening apparatus comprising, in combination with a sealed tank, an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit each having an end opening into the sealed tank, a valve housing having an inlet passage, a conduit for supplying hard water under pressure connected to the valve housing and communicating with one end of said inlet passage, said valve housing having separate outlet passages each having an inlet end communicating with the inlet passage, valves mounted in said housing and controlling said outlet passages, a first conduit member interposed between the valve housing and said inlet conduit and forming a connection between a first one of said outlet passages and said inlet conduit, 2. second conduit member interposed between the valve housing and said outlet conduit and forming a connection between the second outlet passage and said outlet conduit, a drain conduit connected to and leading from said first conduit member, a soft water conduit connected to and leading from said second conduit member, the valve of said first outlet passage being normally disposed in an open position and the valve of said second outlet passage being normally disposed in a closed position, a first pressure responsive valve disposed in said first conduit member and movable by the pressure of the water flowing through said conduit member from said first outlet passage for closing the drain conduit and for permitting a flow of hard water to said inlet conduit, a second fluid pressure responsive valve disposed in the second conduit member and movable by the pressure of the soft water from said outlet conduit into the second conduit member for opening said soft water conduit and for shutting off communication between said outlet conduit and said second outlet passage, and electrically operated valve actuating means connected to said valves of the outlet passages and functioning, when energized, for moving said two valves simultaneously in the same direction for closing the valve of said first outlet passage and for opening the valve of the second outlet passage for reversing the flow of Water through the inlet conduit and outlet conduit and through the first and second conduit memers whereby the pressure of the reverse flowing water will reverse the positions of said fluid pressure responsive valves for shutting ofl the soft water conduit and for permitting the hard water under pressure to be supplied to said outlet conduit, and for opening the drain conduit and closing the connection between said first outlet passage and the inlet conduit whereby the reverse flowing water is discharged through the drain conduit.

2.. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, a removable closure adapted to close and seal a filling opening of the tank, said inlet conduit and the outlet conduit of the tank being connected to and supported by said closure, and said conduit members being mounted on and supported by the closure.

3. A water softening apparatus as in claim 2, and a manually operated shutoflf valve interposed in the inlet passage of the valve housing.

4. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, and a timing mechanism for automatically breaking an electric circuit to said electrically operated valve actuating means.

5. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, said end of the inlet conduit comprising a portion provided with upwardly opening slots, and said end of the outlet conduit constituting a horizontally disposed portion provided with downwardly opening slots.

6. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, each of said fluid pressure responsive valves including a tubular body slidably disposed in the conduit member thereof and having a bore forming a passage therethrough from the valve housing outlet passage associated therewith, and a valve element carried by said tubular body and responsive to fluid pressure in said bore to permit a flow of the hard water from the valve housing outlet passage and to prevent a return fiow therethrough toward said outlet passage.

7. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, and restrictor means associated with said second outlet passage for restricting the flow of water therethrough to said outlet conduit.

8. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, a bypass conduit connecting said hard water supply conduit to the soft water conduit around the valve housing, and a manual shutolf valve in said bypass conduit.

9. A water softening apparatus as in claim 1, the inlet ends of said outlet passages being disposed in alignment with one another.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 21,555 Daniels Sept. 10, 1940 1,652,710 Dotterweich Dec. 13, 1927 2,620,299 Deters et a1 Dec. 2, 1952 2,739,119 Stoner Mar. 20, 1956 2,825,363 Bird Mar. 4, 1958 

